Didelphodon Molar - Cretaceous Marsupial Mammal

A cast of the first Didelphodon mandible to be discovered still containing teeth, now located in the permanent collection of The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis. Creative Commons License

is a molar, most likely from the Cretaceous mammal, Didelphodon vorax. It was recently collected from the Hell Creek Formation of Carter County, Montana. Comes in an acrylic display case.

Fossil evidence suggests Didelphodon was a small predator, perhaps filling the niche that otters do today. It probably had an omnivorous diet, possible for feeding on mollusks, dinosaur eggs, lizards and plants.

Three species are known: Didelphodon vorax, D. padanicus, and D. coyi. It is known from the Hell Creek Formation of Montana, the Lance Formation of Wyoming, and the Scollard Formation of Alberta, where it is one of the most abundant mammals.